Ellison D. Smith

Ellison DuRant "Cotton Ed" Smith (1 August 1864-17 November 1944) was a US Senator from South Carolina (D) from 4 March 1909 to 17 November 1944, succeeding Frank B. Gary and preceding Wilton E. Hall.

Biography
Ellison DuRant Smith was born near Lynchburg, South Carolina in 1864, and he came from a family of plantation owners. He served in the State House of Representatives from 1896 to 1900, and he became a champion of cotton farmers, declaring that "Cotton is king and white is supreme." From 1909 to 1944, he served in the US Senate, promising to keep African-Americans down and prices up. A tireless champion of agriculture, he opposed most of the economic legislation of the progressive era but supported most of its social efforts, having written a small part of them. He opposed women's suffrage, tying the amendment to black suffrage. During World War II, he criticized Americans for supporting the war effort and the New Deal, and he died in office in 1944.